Cuban children, according to the study, would be the most empathetic, self-regulated and open to diversity. | Photo: Juventud Rebelde
Santiago de Chile, December 17 (RHC)-- A study by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reveals that in Latin America most students in sixth grade of primary education are open to cultural diversity, self-regulation and empathy.
The Regional Comparative Study on the Quality of Education-2019 (ERCE 2019) inquired for the first time about socioemotional skills in sixth grade primary school students, observing fundamental areas for their comprehensive development.
According to the report, presented online this Thursday, most of the responses are positive in the three areas evaluated: 85 percent are positive in openness to diversity, 74 percent in school self-regulation and 55 percent in empathy.
In addition, it showed that schools make a difference in the development of these skills, although their incidence is lower than in the achievement of learning, which is why there is an opportunity for schools to contribute and promote their development from an early age.
These are the results of the survey on socioemotional skills in sixth grade students, corresponding to the ERCE 2019 study, released this December 16 by the Regional Bureau of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago) together with representatives of the 16 countries that took part in this research: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Peru and Uruguay.
In terms of results, the study revealed that 85 percent of the responses given by students at the regional level show a positive attitude of openness to diversity, that is, the degree to which students perceive or anticipate that they are able to accept, tolerate and establish ties with those who are different from them.
For this skill, the responses from the different participating countries were similar, with the exception of Cuba and Costa Rica, which had a higher percentage of positive responses (Cuba 93 percent and Costa Rica 92 percent).
The director of OREALC/UNESCO Santiago, Claudia Uribe, said that "the skills measured by the ERCE 2019 are part of a set of socioemotional skills that today we know are essential for personal development and for performance and coexistence at school and in all other areas of life."
She also noted that "after the prolonged school closures, it is more urgent than ever to provide tools to teachers so that they can accompany their students in their socioemotional dimension, which has been strongly impacted by the pandemic."
